Gigs galore for Christchurch music fans

Christchurch City Libraries is playing host to a
month-long line-up of talented Kiwi artists to celebrate New
Zealand Music Month this May.

The gigs kick off with a
launch party at 7pm on Thursday 1 May, with headline act
Nomad, an alt-folk band from Shirley Boys’ High School,
playing at New Brighton Library. Also kicking off
Thursdaynight is front-man for acclaimed alt-country act The
Unfaithful Ways, Marlon Williamson, and Silencio, a
contemporary music ensemble made up of jazz and classical
musicians.

All up, 30 crowd-pleasing performances will
take to the stage at local libraries throughout May, with
headline acts including The Eastern, Lindon Puffin and the
Christchurch Symphony Orchestra.

“Gone are the days when
libraries were always places of quiet,” says Andrew Adams,
Acting Libraries and Information Unit Manager.

“The
month of May is all about turning up the volume and making
the most of the fabulous homegrown musical talent that
Canterbury has to offer.”

Mr Adams says that
Christchurch City Libraries are just as much paradise for
music-lovers as they are for book-lovers.

“Between the
massive collections of tapes, CDs, DVDs, LPs, music
magazines and free access to a world of online music,
Christchurch City Libraries have even the most discerning
music-lover’s tastes well catered for.

“If you
haven’t yet discovered just how musical your local library
is, then the month of May is the perfect time to do so,”
he says.

Christchurch City Libraries, which has partnered
with The Breeze radio station for Music Month 2014, is
offering a 30 per cent discount on CD loans during May, as
well as offering music fans a chance to win one of nine
prizes in its Music Month competition.

NZ Music Month is a
promotion run by the NZ Music Commission that takes place
each May, in association with other organisations including
NZ On Air, RIANZ, APRA, Independent Music NZ, and the Radio
Broadcasters Association.

Firmly entrenched as part of New
Zealand’s cultural landscape, over the course of the last
decade Music Month has gone from a period of encouraging
radio to play more local tunes, to a 31-day celebration of
homegrown talent across the length and breadth of the
country.

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